The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Iran’s central bank governor, Valiollah Seif, and Iraq-based Al-Bilad Islamic Bank for “moving millions of dollars” for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, as Washington seeks to cut off funding for what it claims is “Iran’s malign activities in the Middle East.” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed Seif covertly […]
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Iran’s central bank governor, Valiollah Seif, and Iraq-based Al-Bilad Islamic Bank for “moving millions of dollars” for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, as Washington seeks to cut off funding for what it claims is “Iran’s malign activities in the Middle East.”
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed Seif covertly funneled millions of dollars on behalf of the IRGC through Al-Bilad bank “to enrich and support the violent and radical agenda of Hezbollah.”
The US Treasury also blacklisted Ali Tarzali, assistant director of the international department of Iran’s central bank, and the chairman of Al-Bilad Islamic Bank, Aras Habib.
The department said the sanctions against Seif and Tarzali would not immediately affect central bank transactions. It said, however, sanctions being reimposed under the nuclear deal would affect certain US dollar transactions by the central bank starting on Aug. 7, 2018.
Last week, two days after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the US Treasury imposed sanctions against six individuals and three companies.
